Tag: gluten free bread

I was an only child until I was almost 11 years old. Then came my brother…and then a sister four years later. And then… four years later my mom asked me “Do you want another brother or another sister?” and my unfortunate response was “Neither”.

But despite my lack of enthusiasm…sixteen years ago today, my youngest sister was born. I was in college. In the midst of college finals and stress and sleepless nights, I had just gained a new sister. I went home for Christmas break and stayed up all night with my newborn sister, watching 24-hours of Christmas Story over and over and over so that my mom could get some sleep.

And that’s when I fell in love with that little bundle of joy. I was so happy to have her in my life.

She was so tiny, so beautiful, so new.

And so LOUD! Holy crap.That kid could cry!

Newborns.

Yikes. Talk about insta-birth control for a college kid. Ovaries on shutdown mode. Thanks!

Over the years, watching her grow up has been amazing. She is a talented young girl who is super creative and has the biggest heart. I was always worried that the age difference between the two of us would be hard to stay close. When I moved away 6 years ago, it killed me to know that I wouldn’t be able to go to her sports games or see her get awards or be there for her birthdays. I was missing out on all those little moments.

I was really lucky this past weekend because I was able to see her and my other sister and brother for Thanksgiving! I couldn’t get enough.

I whipped up a double batch of this pumpkin bread and took it to Thanksgiving for breakfast since pumpkin is one of her favorite flavors. It is moist, light, fragrant, and nutritious! Aaaaand did I mention that it was gluten free and dairy free? Double bonus. But seriously, friends, I was blown away by how perfect this pumpkin bread turned out. It uses only two flours: oat flour and almond flour. Arrowroot powder is also used to keep the loaf from being too dense. It is simply amazing.

This recipe makes a double batch which is super helpful during the holidays. You can always give a loaf away to a friend as a gift, or wrap it up tightly and freeze it for later. I promise that you WON’T regret having two loaves.

So Haaaaaappy Birthday to my lovely and beautiful little sister. I am so glad that you were born, because I gained a sister and a friend. Hope you have a wonderful day!

Transfer batter to the loaf pans and smooth the tops with the back of the spoon. Sprinkle remaining 1/4-cup of pecans and coconut palm sugar on the tops of the loaves. Place the loaf pans on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes until a toothpick or butter knife inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Remove from oven and let cool in the loaf pans for about 15 minutes. Turn out the loaves onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

And for my next magic trick, I’ll make amazingly moist gluten-free cornbread. You ready??? aaaah. Put away those boxes of Iffy Jiffy. Serious. This is just as easy and better for you. It’s perfect alongside chili, soup, and as a base for my Cornbread Dressing for Thanksgiving! Oh and it’s fabulous with a dab of butter and some honey! holy Moses.

So what is Old Fashioned Cornbread, you ask?

Welcome to cornbread 101! I like to break cornbread (pun intended) into two different styles: Old Fashioned (or rather Southern Style) and Yankee Style (or Northern Style).

(1) Old fashioned cornbread is 100% cornmeal, buttermilk, and a touch of sweetener.

(2) Yankee style cornbread is a more cake-like cornbread that contains around 50% cornmeal, 50% all purpose flour, and a lot of sugar. Think yellow cake and Jiffy in cornbread Tender match. Good…but not cornbread to me.

I prefer a savory cornbread that tastes like CORNBREAD…not cake.

Old fashioned cornbread is also generally cooked in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, adding extra flavor. If you don’t have a skillet (put it on your christmas list and get one), you can easily make this cornbread in a buttered 8X8 pan. However, I should note that something magical happens when the skillet of cornbread is finished. You open that hot oven to an amazing smell of buttery cornbread. Pulling out a hot skillet of hot cornbread from an oven makes me feel close to my grandmother and a different generation that didn’t know about cell phones, and Facebook, and go go go. It makes me wish that she was here with me as I slather a hot wedge of cornbread with extra butter.

Preheat oven to 350F. Place an 8-inch cast iron skillet into the preheating oven. (If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, butter an 8X8 baking dish and set aside.)

In a large bowl, whisk cornmeal, salt, and baking soda. In a separate medium bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk, honey, and greek yogurt until combined.

Remove preheated skillet from oven. Place butter in the skillet, swirl around and allow to melt.

Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until combined and no dry ingredients remain. Mixture will be slightly lumpy.

Pour batter into the skillet. Place in preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until top is golden brown. Test the doneness by placing a butter knife in the middle of the cornbread and removing it. It’s finished baking when the butter knife comes out clean. Let the cornbread cool for about 10 minutes. Serve warm!

*Notes:

For a more fluffy cake-like cornbread (yankee style), a half-cup of the cornmeal can be replaced with gluten-free flour such as oat flour, almond meal, rice flour, or a gf flour blend.

The honey can also be increased to one-fourth of a cup for a sweeter cornbread. I have also used maple syrup and coconut palm sugar with good results.

Buttermilk can be substituted with dairy or non-dairy milk and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.

Remember that time that you thought you tasted the best zucchini bread ever?

I think you were wrong. I’m so sorry to bust your bubble… but….

THIS gluten free zucchini bread recipe that I am presenting to you today is literally the best zucchini bread I have eeeever had. literally.

Ever. Had.

I’m serious. And I sort of think of my self as a zucchini bread expert. Not to brag, but I’m a bit of a big deal in the zucchini world. Just saying.

But back to these muffins. These are soooooo good. And they are gluten free and only made with two types of flour: oat flour and almond flour. Ya. Gettyup!

After my first bite of these gluten free zucchini and chocolate chip studded muffins that are sweetened with pure maple syrup…I had to sit down, regain composure, and do a double take…and then shove the rest of it in my mouth. Gluten free eaters and gluten lovers alike will be amazed. They are moist, light, and fluffy.

I was really really really sad when I was finished with my muffin. It was the “watch your childhood best friend move away and all you could do is run to your room and write a letter as soon as possible so that she had it waiting for her when she got to her new home” kind of sad. And then I realized how thankful I was that there were 11 muffins left…shhhhhhh! I can’t say it too loud, or others will here and come steal my little precious precious precious zucchini muffins and their melty delicious chocolate chip bitsies.

Snack time just got a HUGE boost. You are welcome!

Note – I made these muffins with a white skinned zucchini that I bought at the farmers market. Although the white skinned version was easier to shred, I missed the green flecks of zucchini skin in my muffins. But if you have pick eaters in your family, removing the skin of the zucchini or using a white skinned zucchini is a great way to add this vegetable to muffins without them knowing. Muahahha.

Shred zucchini (with or without skin) in a bowl. Press with a clean towel to remove excess moisture. Set aside covered and allowing to drain.

Place oat flour and almond flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk together and set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor or mixer, beat eggs for 1 to 2 minutes or until frothy. Add maple syrup and butter and process an additional minute until well incorporated. Add greek yogurt and vanilla. Pulse until combined.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix together until just combined (don’t over mix). Gently stir in shredded zucchini and chocolate chips. Allow to rest for 1 minute.

Fill muffin tins to 3/4 full. Place muffin tin on middle rack in preheated oven. Back for 35 to 40 minutes, or until tops are browned and slightly cracked. Remove from oven and allow to cool on cooling rack for at least 30 minutes (if you can!). Get ready for zucchini muffin heaven!

I like surprises. Do you like surprises? Good. I have one for you. Be ready to have your mind space blown.

Zucchini brownies.

We are gettin’ craaaaazy today. Adding veggies to brownies. Ya, you heard me. I know stuffing a brownie with healthy zucchini might not be your idea of a great surprise, but I promise this brownie won’t disappoint you.

These are cakey-style brownies. So for you fudgey-style brownie lovers (like me) these are not those, buuuuut they are incredibly delicious. Plus, they are stuffed with wholesome nutritious zucchini, almond butter, maple syrup, and raw cacao powder! Ya, these are likely the healthiest brownies out there. They are really close to zucchini bread but with a double chocolate edge that comes from the cacao powder and diced dark chocolate bites. Mmmmmm. Can I get an AMEN?!?

If you don’t have almond butter, any nut butter would work. For the nonPaleo peeps and those not allergic to peanuts, these would be delish with peanut butter swapped in for the almond butter. But if your nut butter is not all natural (or has salt and added sweetener), be sure to eliminate the salt and reduce the sweetener in the below recipe to account for it.

HOWDY!

My name is Alissa and welcome to yet another food blog. But wait.... there's more! I promise to entertain you and tempt you with the tasty and healthy concoctions that come out of my tiny kitchen. My recipes are whole-food based with a whole lotta taste. Get your fork and napkin ready. Dig in!

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WELCOME

I'm Alissa, the worst kind of girl...the type that THINKS that she is low maintenance. I love to cook and eat REAL food. Here at Big Eats tiny kitchen, I try to cook seasonal and plant based meals with meat taking a back seat role. Hope you enjoy the good eats!